Lee pushes ahead with serious crimes agency chief pick despite backlash

President Lee Jae Myung has decided to press ahead with the appointment of Kim Ji-yong as the inaugural head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, despite opposition from some within the ruling bloc.

The presidential office said Thursday it plans to ask the National Assembly to hold a confirmation hearing for Kim as early as Thursday or Friday, reviving an appointment process that had been stalled since mid-September while the nominee underwent additional vetting.

Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Relations and Communication Seong Ghi-hong made the announcement a day before the launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the new Public Prosecution Service, as a sweeping overhaul of South Korea’s criminal justice system takes effect Friday.

The overhaul will abolish the original prosecution service after 78 years and formally separate investigative and prosecutorial powers between the newly created agencies.

Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung recommended Kim for the post on Sept. 7, and Lee nominated him the following day.

But the appointment process was put on hold after figures in the broader ruling bloc called for Kim’s nomination to be withdrawn, accusing him of being aligned with former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The controversy has also raised broader questions over whether a career prosecutor should lead an agency created to take investigative powers away from prosecutors.

Speaking at a press briefing, Seong said the additional vetting found no grounds to disqualify Kim and went point by point through several allegations raised against him.

For instance, Seong rejected claims that Kim was a prosecutor aligned with Yoon, noting that Kim ordered a renewed investigation in 2021 into an alleged perjury case involving Yoon’s mother-in-law and was later transferred out of a senior post after the Yoon administration took office.

Seong argued that excluding Kim simply because he was a former prosecutor would undermine the purpose of the selection process.

“Rather than categorically excluding candidates from a particular professional background, the selection requires a comprehensive assessment that also takes into account the investigative expertise needed to quickly establish the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency as a specialized investigative body under the new criminal justice system,” Seong said.

The announcement came after Lee posted twice on X between Wednesday night and early Thursday, directly pushing back against claims that Kim was a prosecutor aligned with Yoon and defending his nomination amid calls for it to be withdrawn.

On the same day, Lee also appointed a new top policy adviser as part of an economic team reshuffle, while creating two new presidential advisory posts on peace and diplomacy and defense policy.

Lee named Ha Joon-kyung, his senior secretary for economic growth, as chief presidential secretary for policy, Seong said at a separate briefing. Ha succeeds Kim Yong-beom, who resigned Sept. 1.

“The policy chief who will steer the administration’s policies in its second year will place a strong emphasis on social policy, with a focus on tackling polarization and strengthening measures for ordinary people,” Seong said.

“Going forward, we expect him to oversee both social and economic policy and deliver tangible policy changes in areas directly affecting people’s lives, including welfare, jobs, education and housing.”

Ha is a leading scholar who has sought to incorporate “fair growth” and efforts to reduce polarization into broader growth strategies, according to Seong.

Lee tapped Moon Shin-hak, vice minister of trade, industry and resources, to succeed Ha as senior secretary for economic growth. Moon, who has held a series of senior posts overseeing industry and energy policy, is regarded as a specialist in the real economy.

“Based on his experience leading efforts to foster advanced industries such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence, he will move swiftly on new growth engines, including the three megaprojects, and help restore (Korea’s) potential growth rate through an execution-focused growth strategy,” Seong said.

Lee also created two new presidential special adviser posts covering peace and diplomacy and defense policy.

Six-term Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Song Young-gil was appointed special adviser for peace and diplomacy. Song previously chaired the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee and has accumulated extensive experience in foreign and inter-Korean affairs.

“Drawing on his accumulated legislative experience and diverse networks at home and abroad, we expect him to broaden the scope for diplomacy that advances the national interest from a balanced perspective,” Seong said.

Democratic Party Rep. Kim Byung-joo, a retired four-star Army general, was appointed special adviser for defense policy.

“Under the principle that strong defense capabilities are a key pillar in safeguarding the national interest, he is well suited to bring the public’s voice to national security and defense reform efforts,” Seong said.